Spill delivered

Whew! I'm greatly relieved that Fedex got my quilt to Lowell before the deadline.

My packet of promo postcards arrived here the same day..aren't they stunning?  That  is  a detail from "Garibaldi" by artist Betty Busby.

somewhere, a cool garden

hundreds of white stitches on the creamy background....dreams of sleeping in the snow.

there is NO batting here

I just got back from GW with a drift of snowy inspiration...and I'm not even in the dyeing mode! The cream colored piece feels like linen. It's a pleated skirt with yards of cloth, has a label that says MADE IN THE USA and DRY CLEAN ONLY!
I just pulled it out of  the washer and popped it in the dryer. We shall see what comes of this..(for .50 each I couldn't leave the porcelain bowls)

.and now, naptime!  I have wrassled with changing from one used cell phone to another most of the morning and still can't answer the damned thing!

finishing

 These have been hanging on the design wall for a while now because I can't decide if I want to leave them soft or mount them permanently to canvases, or some other treatment.


No matter what, they have to stay together. The sizes, shapes, colors and placements of each piece were long considered and very satisfying to me.  I feel a series coming on.

a change of venue

I finished the text on this little piece last night . Talk about putting decals on fly's wings! I need to put my eyes on a far horizon someplace for a while.


Spent the morning shopkeeping.
There are a dozen new magic cloth burritos up in the store. I dug deep in the stash and stuck to the beach/meadow theme and kept my usual color lunacy in check for a few hours. 

People ask me all the time for muted tones, grays and the like. Those colors are really hard for me folks!

the Art Place show (update)

Ginny Greaves blog has all the best pictures, facts, and figures. All I did was show up and have a great time. Thanks again to everyone who made this happen.

MCD crosspost

I've been hunkered down against the heat and humidity working on this sampler that grew up...more about it here.

time for a new one.

Spill Traveling

How many of you have done all the necessaries to get a piece accepted into a prestigious show and then, somehow, let the "must arrive by" date slip under your radar?!?


I just got back from doing the HomeDepot (for hanging apparatus) and FedexKinkos demented boogie. The guys at home depot couldn't have been more helpful. The gal at Fedex was very helpful but their website needs work.

It WILL arrive in Lowell in plenty of time.

and now to consider what color my toenails should be for the gallery opening tonight.

the Art Place show (update)

"Highway to Hell 1", "Mirage" and "Highway to Hell 2" being hung at the gallery at the Art Place at Mountain View in Marietta, GA as part of a show put on by a local group Fiber Art Fusion. Thanks to Ginny and Rebecca for prodding me into this one.

It never would have occurred to me to hang these three together this way. Some time after it was completed, I flipped the orientation on the third one after looking at it both ways for a long time. No regrets.

It was great to get out and meet with the other artists, old friends and new. The eclectic show was beautifully done and will see a lot of foot traffic - a local performance of "Cats" was in dress rehearsal on the stage just across the hall!

screw hot

I'm going to stop whining about how hot it is as it only seems to add fuel to the fire.

I have always hated air conditioning and wasn't too bothered when ours kicked the bucket. Fans work nicely - to a point.  Living or working in an overly air conditioned environment makes it very hard to go outside into the real world.

One of my gigs for AT&T was in a room full of computer servers. It was in the mid 60s in there and very low humidity. Fuzzy leggings, fingerless gloves and scarves were in order even in June. When my shift was over, I'd walk out into the parking lot where my black Honda was baking away in the heat. I used to open both doors wide and sit on the curb for a few minutes so I wouldn't pass out at the wheel.

I worked on the MCD project last night...TV was the pits. I want to watch the new season of Breaking Bad but can't seem to bring myself to the time needed to catch up on the past shows that I missed.

sweaty

I tried putting this quilt in my largest hoop (the one I never used before) and found it easy to work my "walking" stitch - some wouldn't call it quilting but it's not running - somewhere in between. Trouble is I find a thimble would be good and do you think I can find where my two or three special thimbles  are stowed away?

Right.

It's too hot to try anything more than once right now but I took advantage of some morning breezes and cloud filtered sunlight to stitch a bit this morning. All the cooking and cleaning I'm going to do today were finished before 9am. Now it's just me and CBS Sunday Morning for a while.

I'm worried that these vintage damask flowers are going to suffer with use so I'm going to overlay them with some stitched vines....miles of them.

Hey! Let's go to the Beach!

Grace was kind enough to point out that the page I made for Jude's Magic Cloth Diary Project didn't allow for comments so I renamed and remodeled an old,
unused blog to chart my progress and put a link to it in the sidebar.

It's called "Tattoos I'll Never Get"


I wish it wasn't so damn hot. Sitting in a comfy chair and clutching cloth is the last think I want to do just about now. I'm thinking about taking myself off to the public library and sucking up their AC while I sew. My tax dollars at work!

helter skelter

This morning I am scampering to get three pieces delivered over to the other side of town. They'll be in a show being hung on tuesday. 

Bad reporter here, groggy with the morning, I'll have the name and date of the shows in this spot later today..

This is Highway to Hell I.  H2H2 and Mirage will be in the same show. This will be the first time exhibit for all three. The roll and hardware should just fit across the backseat of my car.

Also traveling today are "Up on Wheels" and "Roadkill" bound for the west coast and points beyond. Details later when I can find where I left my wits.

dampened 4th

A perfect illustration of  how low key our 4th of July was. Not long after this was taken it started raining in fits and starts but was coming down hard in other neighborhoods around ATL. The fireworks could barely make it through the cloud cover. The Braves finished a win over the Rockies in a downpour.

Here are the cloth victims of my weekend long criminal behavior with cloth. They will all be put to use, perhaps together as a tribute to long suffering fabric at the hands of psycho dyers everywhere.



I also started another element for the MCD project

weekend festivities

So far the only thing I've accomplished this weekend is adding a bottom sleeve to the banner I made for the chili cook off.  No I'm wondering why I went to so much trouble (the lettering was hand drafted and painted) but used such poor quality cloth. It must have been the largest continuous expanse of fabric that I had on hand (or could buy locally). After this year I think I'm going to back it with something more durable just to keep it from falling apart.

more crap

I've been torturing the same four squares of cheap cotton for two days now. So far, I'm wondering why. It's become a test of wills but there's another day of vacation tomorrow....

more dyepainting

the scene of the crime

and the perpetrators hand. she wore gloves to no avail.

results from yesterday (tepid to boring)

One of the things I like about dyeing cloth is that you get several chances to have your way with it via over dyeing, discharging or painting it. Problem number one is usually knowing what the heck you were looking for in the first place. It is very easy to lose sight of the goal when you are caught up in (or stumbling through) process.

 I've always struggled with choosing between different extremes with everything - with the middle ground always boring me to tears as a place to be avoided. Here we have middle ground 1 & 2 . Back to the burning dye deck

and thanks this morning to Nancy Natale for reminding me about Joan Mitchell.

something different for friday

gratuitous cat graphic

It's 'doo deciding where to spend the day chilling.

It's going to be another blazing day today so I decided to take advantage of getting up with the chickens (who work in construction and leave while it's still dark) and seize on the dreams of archipelagos that filled my night.

I've been wearing earplugs in an effort to quell tinnitus and I think my brain hears the sound of my own heartbeat and blood rushing and thinks it's the surf breaking somewhere close by.

I'm starting with hot soy wax..the cloth is not presoaked with soda ash so some areas will take the dye less fiercely than others where I've mixed dye and SA,  something I rarely do.

There are two owls out there in the trees and I swear they are singing "Who are you, who who, who who?" 

dye+soda ash applied directly to the cloth and wax. those discs are rounds of clear glass intended to act as a resist to the next step but I have my doubts. I should have stuck them down with more was but I ran out.

last step, bring on the ocean via a spray bottle filled with dye and soda ash solution.

Cleanup is going to be hell but I'm just going to let this one dry completely before I even try to move it.  There are three more panels all about 5'x5' -  but I've got the whole weekend ahead to expand on this path.

Happy Birthday Colin

Colin modeled a bit when he was a baby.  How could he not, as cute as this and he was a laughin' fool the minute anyone broke out a camera.

The day came for a TV commercial try out for the Glow Worm toy.
Colin was very small and his almost invisible blondness made him look more a baby than the running toddler he was at a only year old.
 
When we got to the shoot in NYC  they sat him up on a raised dais - cameras, lights and people everywhere. Colin was unflappable. The toy company exec, the photographer, the director and all the support people fussed over how adorable and perfect the baby was for their plans.

I stood back as an assistant showed him the toy. You squeezed it's belly and the face would light up. He showed it to Colin and demonstrated it's magic.
Colin smiled obligingly, squeezed it a few times and then looked up and said very clearly for the whole room to hear "This is a stupid toy".

The director fell back clutching his heart, the client walked out and everyone else was peeing themselves and smothering laughter.  It was hysterical. No one expected such a little baby to have such a big mouth.

The AD picked Colin up gingerly and handed him to me like he was radioactive and said "He's a little too articulate for our needs today, thank you".

We had ice cream before boarding the train for the suburbs and I had to scold him on the ride home for rumpusing  and disturbing the sleepers. On reflection, the sugar rush was my fault. Modeling was not fun anymore. Thus ended our career in TV. 

(in case you haven't figured out the vintage of this story, these pictures were taken in 1981)

yeah, yeah, the script needs work

diversions

I've finished the second "Rêver" and would make more but there were only two armrest covers on that couch and I'm not ready to skin it for the rest of the upholstery...although who would miss cloth taken from the back to the wall?

To keep from tearing down the trail with my eyes closed on another project, I've committed to finishing off a fling I started a while back...miles of white quilting are ahead, enough to keep me out of trouble I hope.

This one will be a warm up for the Islands  now that I have a better idea of how they should be built.

elements

 
I love having a new project and everything it's needing at the moment in my basket close at hand, ready when I am.

This element might be included in the project I've started for Jude's Magic Cloth Diary which is starting up soon.
It's a six month class so I'll be documenting the progress (or lack thereof) here. 

No compass, no matches, no knife am I'm already wandering in the woods of this one.

Today is for chillin', swimming and stitching.

Happy FRIDAY!

Of course you know it's this piece of damask that has me spellbound. I may have to take it outside and burn it under the moon. Until then, I'll hand it up on the design wall to spook me from there.

I just got back from errands around town (a few more Magic Cloth Burritos are in the mail!) and I had the oddest experience. I recently took advantage of a coupon and downloaded a few self hypnosis scripts from Wendy Friesen.

Now, before you scoff, remember you are dealing one hard headed bitch here and I will also tell you that I know this stuff works.

Years ago I learned to put myself into a deep, dreamless and refreshing sleep in less than two minutes and wake up in 30 feeling like I had slept soundly all night. A great trick when your baby won't sleep but 10 minutes out of every two hours as Colin did his whole first year.

After all, we tell ourselves stuff in our heads every waking moment. Unfortunately it's not often good or useful stuff.  A good "script" will put you into a receptive (think contemplative, open) state of mind and then offer up positive and/or directed suggestions that you are free to choose or disregard. The whole point is to embrace new and useful suggestions and put them into practice - like making daily physical exercise as important to your mind as it is for your body..good stuff like that.

Anyway, I was driving along with the Ipod on shuffle and one of the scripts popped up and I decided to listen actively for content and ignore the hypnotic induction, after all I was driving. After about a minute I found my self feeling... JELLIED - one hit jellied!

I quickly turned down the sound and focused on the road.  Having these scripts at my fingertips is like have a joint hidden in the bottom of the jewelry box. You KNOW it's going to work but you can't seem to bring yourself to light up.
"What's up with that" is the question to ponder. Have a great weekend. I will.

win some, lose some

I spent most of the morning pushing these pieces of fabric around trying to make them make sense, play nice. It got as far as lots of pins, but not further. Sometimes it just wont fly.



On the other hand "Spill" was juried into Artquilts Lowell 2011

Right now I have to duck and cover. Serious thunderstorms. serious.

ironing

My grandma taught me how to iron. 

Nelly ironed for people back when such services were in demand. Baskets of clean laundry were left on her front porch and in the morning we would sprinkle shirts with water from a stoppered bottle, roll them and tuck them into an enamel pan and put them in the refrigerator. Then she would start in on the things that had been in refrigerator overnight and were scheduled for pickup in the afternoon.

The electric iron was polished and heavy.  Most things came starched from the wash; cotton dresses and skirts with endless pleats, acres of sheets and curtains and dozens of mens dress shirts.

I was entrusted with pillowcases and handkerchiefs once she was certain that I had the important lessons down - never stop moving the iron and, if you had to set it down to sprinkle, you put it on the hotplate and NOT the ironing board. I was allowed two fifteen minute stints of cloth polishing while she sat and watched her TV stories “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light” with one eye on me the whole time. She never allowed me to iron any of the shirts, a process I found fascinating, with so many steps to the finished product. Everything was stacked neatly back into the baskets they had come from and ladies would stop by and pick them up late in the afternoon.

When I was a teenager my Dad had a job that called for dress shirts and it was my job to get them perfect although he was satisfied to have them on a hangar.

 I was working on one of his shirts the very first time I heard the Beatles.
”She loves you…yeah, yeah, yeah….” was coming out of my mother’s leather bound Zenith portable radio and I clearly remember being grabbed at some core of my brain and looking incredulously at the radio as if I expected it to burst into flames as I leaned over the ironing board. It was the shirt that nearly burst into flames and I had the rotten luck of bad timing as Mom walked into the kitchen just as the smell of scorching cotton snapped me out of it and I lifted the iron off the ruined shirt.

washout day

By now everyone must be familiar with this riot scene - I never tire of it.

Lot's of little things here; embroidered hankies, doilies, bit's and pieces that will all add up to something someday for someone somewhere.


There's that fuggedaboutit blue again!

I'm going to experiment with taking the color down a notch with some of these pieces.

sunday festivities

I mixed a whole new set of colors and set out two dozen mason jars and a dozen steel pans of in the hot Georgia sun filled with pieces of cloth  - an amazing variety of cottons - gauze, terry, flannel, antique linen, cotton jacquard and other things I don't even know the names for beyond old including a vintage Mexican wedding dress that was torn beyond repair. Lots of mysterious yardage undergoing transformation this weekend.

The thing is, I won't be decanting any of these before Tuesday.


Now to try and forget they are out there on the decking waiting.

There are those who will disagree with me but from my experience, batching is mostly baloney when you are using MX dyes.

If the cloth has been well prepped, the dye and the temperatures of everything are optimal, all the color that's going to happen will happen in the first few hours.  

I just won't have the time for all the rinsing, washing and ironing that comes next until Tuesday.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's day to my cool dad!

And Happy Father's day to the co-author of my finest creations.. It's good to be the King!

professional photographer...

...NOT. but I do the best I can in spite of studio assistants ever plotting mayhem and interference.

Can we get on with it DeMille? I have meetings all day.

....where's my damned mark!!

gifts

A wonderful gift from afar (thanks Serena) and two other great fiber finds are pointing  towards a serious dyefest next week. I have a few experiments in mind, soy wax to the forefront, and a need for some large, almost solid colored pieces for an ongoing project.

Have to take a long hard look at the colors on hand and see if I can't move them in some different directions.


That's my velvet shawl in the background.The damask leaves seem to be evaporating after much dragging around and machine washing. The cloth was very old and fragile before I ever dyed it. Repair? I think not....

easy choice...

...after some brief navel gazing, rowdy it is . Let's hope the judges aren't wound too tight and fulla de artiselves.

I think this great bugger needs a sleeve too before I can get a proper shot ...what's today? Merely Tuesday.

There's a pool to be cleaned and chicken to cook.

NOT last nights dinner.